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September 10, 2013

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DIY | Concrete Cheeseboard

A few weeks ago, I put together a DIY for BuzzFeed. The challenge was to come up with an original and fun cheeseboard, so of course, I had to experiment with cement! I love the way it turned out, and have used it several times (and it currently resides on our coffee table). Check out the full DIY on BuzzFeed.

I really like experimenting with cement products…my two favorites are Rockite and a new discovery (found in most hardware stores), Cement All (this cheeseboard is my first attempt at using Cement All). Both Rockite and Cement All are finer cements and they dry much smoother (and lighter in color) than other products I’ve worked with. These cement products are also packaged in manageable sizes so it’s easy for me to work on a concrete project without help from Joe!

Update to address various concerns about the weight of concrete, whether it’s food-safe, etc:

1. Yes, this cheeseboard is breakable! 🙂
2. Concrete can be heavy…at this size, however, it’s very manageable…and lighter than a marble or slate board.
3. To make the concrete food-safe, just coat with a food-safe wax like pure carnauba or bees wax. There also some great sealers made for concrete countertops that would work wonderfully.
4. Slice your cheese gently to avoid excessive scratching. Some food-safe concrete sealers are scratch resistant as well.

I'm not sure if this is obvious or not… But is untreated concrete safe to eat from? Or did you treat the cheeseboard with a food-grade sealant of some kind?

Anonymous

April 28th, 2014 at 9:28 pm

Hello! I am curious about Rachael's question too. I made a concrete cheese board per your wonderful directions, now just curious if it is necessary to treat it with 100% beeswax or if it is okay to keep it untreated, as is. Thanks for your help!

Not sealing or waxing your concrete/cement can lead to etching and staining and make the piece look pretty terrible. Sealing also makes the bored water resistant. Also Sealing makes for a beautiful surface withour compromising the concrete look or material values. I have made a wooden cutting board with beeswax as my final top coat and you just can't beat the feel of that.

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